Spider-mania hit Los Angeles today as the stars of the much-anticipated superhero movie arrived in town.

Spider-mania hit Los Angeles today as the stars of the much-anticipated superhero movie arrived in town.

The film's stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, with director Sam Raimi, were all at today's American premiere.

The £110 million movie, based on the Marvel comic book hero, opens in the United States on Friday, and in Britain in June.

It stars 26 year-old Maguire as student Peter Parker - Spider-Man - who acquires his superhuman abilities after being bitten by a genetically-modified spider.

Maguire, who went through rigorous physical training for the role, said he was keen to work with Raimi. He said: "I thought he was the perfect fit for the film, he is a huge Spider-Man fan himself and I thought he would handle the 40 years of history of this pop icon with great responsibility."